Plenty of people say that the oil in your engine is the “lifeblood of your vehicle”.
Is oil really that important to your vehicle, though?
Is it possible to do damage to your vehicle – especially the engine – if the oil is low, old, or there simply isn’t any left at all?
Just how bad can things get when the oil level starts to drop in your car?
It is actually one of the most important things in your car.
The Importance of Oil in Your Vehicle
Before getting into the meat and potatoes of what can happen to your automobile if your oil levels start to drop, it’s important to highlight the overall value that oil brings to the table when it comes to keeping your car running in the first place.
As highlighted above, lots of folks – especially those in the automotive and mechanic industry – called oil the lifeblood of your engine.
They are not over exaggerating.
Oil is hugely important in keeping your car running smoothly.
For one thing, oil lubricates all of the core engine parts – especially those made of metal that are coming in contact with other metal components. Without lubrication all that friction would cause a nightmare of problems, not the least of which is overheating and potential seizing of your engine.
Secondly, oil works to cut down on the operating temperature of your engine.
Oil is super efficient at transferring heat from these metal components inside of an internal combustion engine, moving it out of the engine bay, and keeping all of your core components running at temperatures they can tolerate.
If your engine runs too hot for too long part start to break down and fall apart – and that’s when things get really, really unsafe.
Signs Your Car is Leaking or Burning Oil
Luckily, there are some pretty obvious signs that your vehicle is leaking or burning oil that you want to make sure you’re always on the lookout for.
Toasted Oil Smells
For starters, if you start to smell oil that is kind of “toasted” or burnt the odds are pretty good that you are due for an oil change.
This usually means that the oil level in your engine is getting low, leftover oil is starting to superheat and fill with sediment, and things are poised to get really nasty.
Oil Warning Light on the Dash
Modern vehicles are pretty good about alerting you to lower oil issues as well.
The second you see that oil warning light pop up on your dashboard you want to make sure that you address the situation ASAP. Check your oil levels, get an oil change, or fill the oil compartment in your engine right away.
Heating Problems
If you are starting to notice significant heating issues with your vehicle – especially high temperatures – then you are likely dealing with an oil leak, low oil, or no oil situation.
As we mentioned earlier, oil is so much more than a lubricant. It’s also responsible for cooling down your engine.
When there’s no more oil to keep things cool temperatures skyrocket in a hurry and can get pretty dangerous.
Dark, Burnt Oil
Dark, burnt oil that comes gooping out of your oil pan when you go to change your oil is another surefire sign that things aren’t great.
Thick, chunky, sediment rich oil is always going to be very dark – almost jet black – and is going to have that burnt smell we mentioned earlier.
No Oil on the Dipstick
Finally, if you don’t see any oil on your dipstick when you pull it from your engine (after wiping it down and then putting it back into check your oil levels) you’re probably looking at a low to no oil situation.
Not all new cars have a deepstick, but you can always find the level through the infotainment system if you don’t have a deepstick.
That needs to be remedied right away.
How to Tell If Engine is Damaged From No Oil
Modern engines (and even a lot of older engines) are far more resilient than most of us think and can run without a lot of oil for a very small amount of time.
If you continue to run your engine with low levels – or no oil at all – then you’re going to run into some very serious problems.
Grinding Noises
Anytime you start to hear grinding noises coming from your engine bay it means that core components are no longer being lubricated.
Now these parts of rubbing right up against one another, metal on metal, and are going to wear out a whole lot faster than they would have otherwise.
It might not be all that long until these metal parts lockup on one another and seize your engine, either.
When your engine seizes you’re in a world of hurt.
Engine Stalling Out
Another surefire sign that your vehicle has been damaged by low to know oil is if it starts to stall out sporadically.
This is a symptom of your core components inside your engine breaking down, falling apart, and beginning to fail. It’s not going to be long until your engine refuses to turn over at all if things progress.
If your car starts to stall on a regular basis and you check your dipstick and find you have no oil it’s best to leave the vehicle off, have it towed to a mechanic, and have it inspected and repaired ASAP.
Extreme Overheating
Extreme overheating inside the cabin of your vehicle – right behind the engine bay – is another surefire sign that your engine has been damaged significantly by a low to know oil situation.
All that extra heat is going to wear down core components faster, threatened to melt plastic components under the hood, and may even cause engine fire issues.
Smoke Coming from the Engine Bay
Anytime you see smoke coming out of the engine bay of your vehicle you know things aren’t great.
Engines that run with no oil are always going to get incredibly hot, are always going to grind on one another, and the potential for things to get fiery – if not downright explosive – skyrocket significantly.
If you see smoke coming from your engine may at any point in time it’s important to turn your vehicle off, get a fire extinguisher rated for automotive fires on hand, and contact a mechanic right away.
Closing Thoughts
At the end of the day, it’s critically important that you make sure your vehicle isn’t running low on oil on a regular basis.
And if you fill up oil always make sure it’s with the same type of oil that is already in the car. But in a modern car it shouldn’t be necessary to fill up much oil. If your car is using oil that is an indication there is a problem with the car.
A quick check of your dipstick every month, keeping a constant lookout for obvious signs and symptoms of low oil problems, and regularly going through your scheduled maintenance – including full oil and fluid changes – is critically important.
It doesn’t take a whole lot for an engine to basically die if it doesn’t have enough oil.
That’s always a very expensive fix. Sometimes it totals your vehicle, even.
Be sure to take the necessary steps to avoid that expensive nightmare whenever possible.